Republic of Korea Navy MH-60R anti-submarine helicopter (Lockheed Martin)
SINGAPORE — The US State Department announced on Monday a potential sale of new MHH-60R Seahawk helicopters and AH-64E Apache upgrades for South Korea’s military, with a potential price tag of $4.2 billion.
In addition, State approved a set of potential deals for India, covering sustainment for howitzers and Apaches that could total $428 million.
The potential Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases were announced on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Such announcements do not represent final sales; Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations, and the announcement tees up an opportunity for lawmakers to block the deal within a 30-day period, though such a step is rare.
The most significant of the announcements was the potential sale of 24 Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to South Korea for an estimated total cost of $3 billion. The proposed package also includes airborne low-frequency sonars, engines and self-protection systems.
